The Unforgotten – Episode 15: The Boy Who Found Shelley

Release Date: May 12, 2025
Podcast: The Unforgotten (Free Range Productions)
Season 1: The Labor Day Ghost
Hosts: Carol Dawson and Wes Ferguson

Episode Overview

This bonus episode, subtitled "The Boy Who Found Shelley," explores a pivotal and haunting moment in the investigation of Shelly Salter Watkins’ murder: the discovery of her body in the Trinity River, Texas, in 1993. The episode focuses on the rarely heard firsthand account of one of the three fishermen—then teenagers or young men—who made the grim discovery, and reveals new details that challenge previous assumptions and published facts about that day. Through intimately reported storytelling, the hosts reflect on the emotional, investigative, and legal impact of this moment, and ask for community help in filling remaining gaps in the record.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Search for the Fishermen

• Significance of Identifying the Witnesses:
  Carol shares her long-held curiosity about the identities of the young fishermen who found Shelley’s body. She saw their account as vital for understanding the crime and its impact:

  “Anybody who came across Shelley in that terrible condition was never going to forget…it was not only a profound discovery, but a very meaningful discovery in other ways, because they were the ones who undid whatever the murderer had tried to do, and that was to erase Shelley's presence and identity from the surface world forever.” – Carol Dawson [02:22]

• Research Process:
  The hosts explain their methodical effort to comb through a list of 75+ witness names from the prosecutor’s files, contacting people one by one, and leveraging local knowledge and online databases to track leads.

  “I just took all the names…and I really focused in on the ones that had lived in that general area of the Trinity river where Shelly was found.” – Wes Ferguson [06:45]

• Role of Spouses as Connectors:
  Wives often acted as intermediaries, helping the hosts reach reluctant or elusive men involved in various stages of the case. This episode’s interview became possible through the fisherman’s wife [08:07].

Mark’s Firsthand Account (the Fisherman)

• Background:
  "Mark," a pseudonym, was 18 and newly married, with a baby on the way. He and two friends, early 20s, launched a borrowed boat to fish from the FM 85 bridge [09:11].
• Discovery Details:
  • Around midday, after failing to go upstream due to low water, they headed downstream and spotted a new chain wrapped around a black trash bag, snagged mid-river [11:19].
  • On investigating, they broke open the bag with a paddle and immediately saw the body, face down, with long blonde hair mostly detached and floating away [12:12].

    “The back of the head, all the hair had already come off, just about.” – Mark [12:12]

  • The body was only lightly clothed (Gold's Gym crop top, shorts), partially decomposed after six days in the water. Notably, she had two toenails left, both on big toes, still painted [14:24].
  • Mark and his friends sped to shore, notified a friend (whose boat they’d borrowed), and called 911 from Seven Points. They eventually helped law enforcement recover the body [12:55-14:16].
  • The detail about the precise location led to a crucial jurisdiction determination:

    “They measured to where...it was right in the middle. Six inches on Henderson [County].” – Mark [18:14]

Contradictory Timelines and Details

• Timing of the Discovery:
  Mark is clear the body was found between noon and 3pm, while dispatcher Christy Warrick and others recall evening/nighttime [16:52-17:14].

  “We didn’t have watches or Showtime back then, so, you know, we looked at the sun.” – Mark [17:14]

• Nature of the Body's Wrapping:
  Contrary to reports of construction plastic, Mark says it was a trash bag tied around her waist, likely inflated with decomposition gases [16:12].
• Jurisdiction:
  Mark’s experience suggests law enforcement was careful and collaborative in determining (by inches) which county the case belonged to, countering stories of a jurisdictional tug-of-war [18:14].

Emotional Impact & Reflections

• Trauma of Young Witnesses:
  The hosts dwell on the psychological toll, especially for teenagers:

  “Can you imagine what that would be for an 18 year old and a couple of 20 year olds to come across something like that? It would just stamp your brain for life, as it clearly has for Mark.” – Carol Dawson [19:47]

• Crucial Legal Consequence:
  The measurement—just six inches into Henderson County—determined who prosecuted the case, ultimately resulting in a DA’s resignation and prison for corruption.

  “Everything followed from those six inches. So I cannot help but consider half a foot to be a crucial twist of fate.” – Carol Dawson [19:47]

• Unanswered Questions:
  • The autopsy described a furrow around the neck, typically a strangulation sign, but with no broken hyoid bone. Carol wonders if an additional ligature was used on the neck, not recovered:

    “…that furrow could have come from…a purse strap or a thin rope or something handy once she received the eight violent blows to the back of her head…” – Carol Dawson [23:42]

  • Mark’s account suggests only bindings to the waist and ankles; he recalls nothing around her neck [24:16-24:50].

Appeal to the Community

• Call for More Information:
  Carol requests listeners’ confidential input on two points: who took possession of Shelley’s white BMW after her death, and how soon it was seen in public. Privacy is assured [28:04].

Meta-Reflection on True Crime Reporting

• The hosts reinforce their commitment to accuracy—sharing no unsubstantiated rumors or information (“part of the bargain”), but promising disclosure when possible for transparency’s sake.

  “We’re not sharing any rumors, gossip, secondhand information, and also there are things that are too sensitive to talk about right now, but…we will release them when the time’s appropriate.” – Wes Ferguson [27:01]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the search for witnesses:
  “It was a really big deal to try to find those three fishermen and have them…recount their experience to us.” – Carol Dawson [02:22]
• On the trauma for young discoverers:
  “It would just stamp your brain for life, as it clearly has for Mark.” – Carol Dawson [19:47]
• On the improbability of the discovery:
  “If Mark and his friends hadn’t decided to go fishing that day…she probably would have been swept away and who knows if she would have ever been found.” – Wes Ferguson [14:46]
• On the smell and vivid memory:
  “It's a smell you never get, you know.” – Mark [14:16]
• On precise jurisdiction:
  “Everything followed from those six inches. So I cannot help but consider half a foot to be a crucial twist of fate.” – Carol Dawson [19:47]
• On the limits of reporting:
  “We’re not sharing any rumors, gossip, secondhand information, and also there are things that are too sensitive to talk about right now…” – Wes Ferguson [27:01]

Important Timestamps

• 01:12 — Episode framing: the search for the “boy” who found Shelley.
• 02:22-06:45 — Carol on her lifelong obsession with discovering the fishermen’s identities and why their account matters.
• 06:45-08:07 — Wes describes the research process of tracking down possible witnesses; the key role of “Mark’s” wife in making the interview possible.
• 09:11-10:44 — The lead-up to discovery; Mark’s background and the initial boat trip.
• 11:19-12:28 — The moment of discovery in the river.
• 13:11-14:46 — Interaction with law enforcement, physical recovery of the body, autopsy details.
• 16:12-17:10 — Mark counters published accounts on the wrapping material and time of discovery.
• 18:14-18:43 — Jurisdiction determined by precise measurement—six inches.
• 19:47-25:27 — Carol and Wes’s analytical discussion: trauma, legal consequence, questions on autopsy findings.
• 28:04 — Carol’s community appeal for confidential information on Shelley’s car.

Conclusion: Episode Tone & Takeaway

The episode is compassionate, methodical, and deeply invested in respecting the humanity of both the victim and those touched by her tragedy. The hosts emphasize meticulous investigation, emotional resonance, and community participation, leaving listeners with haunting details, unanswered questions, and a sense of the ripples that one discovery sent through many lives.

If you have information about Shelley's case or her car, the hosts encourage confidential contact through the podcast's website or social media.